It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said, “When Christ call a man he bids him come and die.” Jesus put it a little differently: “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
The cost of discipleship is death. Death to myself, death to my will, death to my desires. Another word (hardly less palatable to our modern minds) is surrender. I must yield all that I have, all that I am to Him, with no iron clad guarantees, at least for this life. I am not promised that my loved ones will not die, that my health will remain, that my relationships will thrive.
Instead, God grants something deeper, more profound. He grants me the gift of Himself, His presence, and nothing can separate me from Him.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 8:38-39
Yet, it is not just simply the gift of His presence (wonderful as that is). He sustains the deepest part of us, not just in this life but into eternity. He feeds us our very souls.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ~ John 6:35
Beloved, are you wavering on your commitment? Does your heart hunger for something more? Sit in the shadow of the cross. Surrender yourself to his incredible power. Submit yourself to His will. Bask in the sunlight of His love. Remind yourself of eternity with Him. The way may be hard, but He is more than enough to sustain your broken, weary heart.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
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